It regularly shocks me that AMD doesn't release their cards with at least enough CUDA reimplementation to run DL models. As you point out, AI applications use a tiny subset of the overall API, the courts have ruled that APIs can't be protected by copyright, and CUDA is NVIDIA's largest advantage. It seems like an easy win, so I assume there's some good reason.

A very cynical take: AMD and Nvidia CEO’s are cousins and there’s more money to be made with one dominant monopoly than two competitive companies. And this income could be an existential difference-maker for Taiwan.

AMD can't even figure out how to release decent drivers for Linux in a timely fashion. It might not be the largest market, but would have at least given them a competitive advantage in reaching some developers. There is either something very incompetent in their software team, or there are business reasons intentionally restraining them.

They did; it's called HIP.